Fire Chief No. 5 ½ goes home to die peacefully

22-year-old Nick Torrance, named honorary deputy chief of the Putnam Fire department, gets support upon returning home in hospice care.
Gillis Benedict/Livingston Daily

Putnam Township firefighter Trevor Blackstone and fellow members of the squad stopped by to welcome home 22-year-old Nick Torrance, stricken with muscular dystrophy, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017 at his Pinckney home. Having just returned home and on hospice, he held the distinction of Chief No. 5 ½ of the fire department since he was 5. Torrance would pass away within days of this visit.(Photo: Gillis Benedict/Livingston Daily)

Jean and her husband, Rob Torrance, a retired firefighter with the Putnam Township Fire Department, had tried to conceive for years when they had Nick. As a baby, he was “just like any other child,” his mother said.

As he grew, Nick didn’t crawl, but scooted everywhere. He walked a little late, but the couple told the Livingston Daily in a 2010 interview that they weren’t overly concerned because, at age 3, Nick had massive calf muscles.

But Nick began slowing down, and tests at the University of Michigan Hospital revealed he had dangerously high levels of an enzyme called creatine kinase pumping through his blood. His massive calf muscles turned out to be pseudohypertrophy, a condition in which enlarged muscle tissue is eventually replaced by fat and connective tissue.

Then came the Duchenne diagnosis.

The average life span of someone with Duchenne is 17 to 19 years for boys, but advances in cardiac and respiratory care have made survival possible into the early 30s, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s fact sheet on Duchenne.

The honorary firefighter

At age 5, Nick often visited his father at the fire department where he befriended anyone who met him.

Fire Chief Greg Amburgey said Nick was very particular about the fire trucks and often times told people not to touch the truck for fear they’d dirty it.

“You can’t get a thumb print on the truck,” Jean agreed.

The fire department named Nick its honorary chief, assigning him Chief No. 5 ½. He’s held that title for 17 years.

In his role, Nick partnered with the firefighters during their fundraising efforts for Jerry Lewis' Muscular Dystrophy marathon. Each year, Nick could be found near his dad, firefighter's boot in hand as he collected donations.

Nick, who is a shy man and sports fanatic, loves U-M hockey games and NASCAR.

He attended Farley Hill Elementary School and Pinckney Community High School. He has collected signed jerseys or memorabilia from college players, some of whom went on to become professional athletes.

“He’s smart as a whip,” Jean said.

Declining health

Jean said Nick’s health has “gone downhill” in the last couple years.

It has been a struggle, especially after the family was re-assigned from the pediatric hospital to adult services when Nick turned 18.

Jean said the transition meant “starting over,” which was difficult for Nick and his parents.

On July 28, the family was home eating dinner when Nick began to asphyxiate.

“He went down, boom,” Jean said.

Livingston County EMS brought Nick to CS Mott Children's Hospital, where Jean says she met “the most awesome doctor,” Dr. Tsovinar Arutyunyam. She said Arutyunyam and her assistant worked with the family.

As Nick’s end draws near, his mother requested that he be released from the hospital so he could die at home. Doctors initially expressed concern about transporting Nick, but with assistance from Amburgey, Livingston County paramedics brought Nick home Thursday. They helped make him comfortable while under his parents’ care.

“We could not have done it without the help of everyone,” Jean said, also praising Nick’s teacher, Lisa Gross.

“He’s the best kid in the world. That about sums it up for me,” Jean added.